In the latest issue of EGM, Sony executive Jack Tretton tried to dispel the rumors that the PS3 wasn’t in as high demand as its competitors by offering $1,200 for any of the units that had been on store shelves longer than five minutes. On January 24, I wrote in this very column about my local Wal-Mart’s lethargic stock, but the good folks at Penny Arcade have gone further, filing photographic evidence of the abundant supply of Sony’s new console in their locale. As they calculate it, Tretton owes them $13,200. What they’ll get is probably a weak-kneed clarification of his original bet, or a claim of misquotation. Sony execs are no fun.
I was glad to see some mild Helo development in last night’s Battlestar Galactica, but whoever shot the thing had a bad case of the lingering. "Get some turmoil there on your face, and hold it, hold it, hold it…" Just think, if that episode were a videogame, there would have been ventilated refugees all over the cargo hold; or, if Bioware made it, branching conversation trees that could end with Helo in bed with Dr. Robert. It looks like we’ll get a chance to see how the show adapts to PC and Xbox 360 in the coming months with a team arguably more respectful of the source material than I; Austrian developer Auran Games is working on a Galactica game of unknown potential. Details are like an A-ha music video, but we do know that it might be download-only, might allow you to play as both humans and Cylons, and might feature a broadly-painted political metaphor. 1up’s got the story.
Factor 5 believe that their PS3-exclusive Lair is almost done, reports Game Informer. In a lengthy interview from DICE, GI sussed out a number of details from Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht. (My German is rusty… "Bringing Eggs?") Of course, mister Eggebrecht is forgetting something vital — in this post-modern world, the authors don’t get to declare when a work is finished! That’s the job of the consumer, through a discourse with the text, and violent complaints of missed expectations.
We tend to enjoy all things Hellboy around here, so I’ll pass along this fun little video of the franchise’s upcoming brawler on the PSP. For my money, the art direction looks pretty good, but the combat mechanics look a bit off, with the whole "hit the bounding square of the model" mode of fighting.
Upstart developer Ready at Dawn (creators of the A-class Daxter for the PSP) are deep into development on their second title, which is also going to be PSP exclusive. GamesIndustry.biz has a great intervew with Ready at Dawn co-founder Didier Malenfant — a name which holds as much malice as it does Frenchness. The interview touches on some interesting topics, such as the developer’s decision to remain exclusive to the handheld that doesn’t fly off shelves, and what other developers might do to keep the platform fresh.
My friendly game retailer unleashed her frustration at the inability of publishers to get games to stores precisely on the day their release is slated, which just goes to show that you can’t trust dead people. Nevertheless:
PC:
Backyard Basketball 2007
Galactic Civilizations 2: Dark Avatar
PS2:
Backyard Basketball 2007
Ghost Rider
Chulip (I’m getting a dozen of these for my wife for Valentine’s Day)
WII:
Wii Play
PSP:
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters (hearing good things about this, usually preceded by panting)
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner
Ghost Rider
Chili Con Carnage
The Warriors
DS:
F-24: Stealth Fighter